North Dakota seeking to fill 20,000 openings

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According to a March 18 article in Business News Today; the state of North Dakota is seeking to fill 20,000 job openings. The job openings, believed to be a direct of result of the State’s oil boom, are in the fields of transportation, field workers, and the food industry.The article goes on to say that the state plans on partnering with Hess Corp. on an $800,000 ad campaign designed to draw labor to the state.

Should you consider applying or relocating?

The one major advantage to jumping on an opportunity like this one is that North Dakota is an employees’ market. This means that labor is scarce, and companies may be willing to pay a premium for your services. Can you name your price? Not quite, but you will probably paid more in your field than the national average.

The cons are just as pervasive. Michigan is a perfect example of a state that had too much of its success or failure tied to a single industry. If oil goes belly up for a season, what happens to the labor? Business professionals will say that you never take a job in a place where you cannot get a job. In the oil market turns or sours; you are essentially an expatriate.

According to jobsnd.com, the unemployment rate in North Dakota was 3.3% in January 2014.

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Stephen E. Thomas is the Area Vice President of Operations for Comcast Cablevision's Chicago City Area. In this role, he has oversight of all field employees who have direct interface and contact with customers. This includes technicians, contractor partners, front counter employees, and quality control personnel. Previously, he served as the Regional Vice President of Technical Operations for Comcast Cablevision's Michigan Region. In this role, he had oversight for the technicians who interface directly with customers, as well as for customer fulfillment. Prior to assuming that role, he served as Vice President and General Manager for Comcast Cablevision's Detroit Systems. This includes Detroit and Hamtramck, and encompassed approximately 100,000 customers. He assumed this role in April of 2003. Previously, he worked as General Manager for Comcast's system in Flint, Michigan. Thomas can be reached at this address.